This afternoon, the House renewed Sections 5, 203, and 6-9 of the Voting Rights Act by a 390-33 vote, rejecting amendments to weaken the Act that were introduced by Reps. Lynn Westmoreland and Charlie Norwood of Georgia, Rep. Steven King of Iowa, and Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas.

People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas released the following statement:

“Today’s vote is a victory for voters and voting rights. It is also a triumph of principled bipartisanship over right-wing zealotry. By rejecting four unnecessary and harmful amendments to the Voting Rights Act, a bipartisan majority repudiated a group of reactionary Republicans who wanted to gut one of the most important and effective civil rights laws ever passed. While we look forward to the day when these protections may not be necessary, it is clear that day has yet to come. We now call on the Senate to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act without dilution or delay.”